Metal-Organic Framework Catalysts for Solar Fuels: Light-Driven Conversion of Carbon Dioxide into Formic Acid

The direct conversion of carbon dioxide into formic acid as renewable feedstock for chemicals or as fuel using sunlight as the sole energy source would provide a crucial step toward a more sustainable industrialized society. While crucial advances have been made using molecular catalyst, their heterogenization within porous framework can provide additional features, resulting in enhanced efficiency. Thanks to their high affinity toward carbon dioxide and high versatility in composition, Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) already offered appealing opportunities for the design of photocatalysts active in the light-driven carbon dioxide reduction into formic acid. In this Spotlight, we look back on a decade of discovery and understanding in the light-driven MOF-catalyzed formic acid production form carbon dioxide leading to a 1000-fold enhancement in productivity and, moreover, open perspectives for the design of novel porous hybrid photoactive platforms.